BethanyRambling

Photo Tour

Okay, I gussied it all up for my sister coming over, so here ya go:

Not much room for anything other than the bed, but it's one hell of a bed. It's also the bed that Sukie and Jackson have on Gilmore Girls, as Christy pointed out to me. They have good taste.

My beloved trunk, which holds, naturally:

all things yarn related. My pirate booty.

That's it. Me nesting. Happy. Home. (items not shown: a spur-of-the-moment trip to Redding with sister Christy to see a bridge, walks and girl talks with best roommate ever Katy, parties full of long lost friends, a little momma short hours away, sister Rachael sitting and spinning in the same city as me, concerts, dinners, dates, bizarre job requests, Oakland, San Francisco)

Last year was amazing. But I feel like I am back in my own shoes again. Or cowboy boots, as the case may be.

Adios, or Au Revoir

Okay, adios is easy to spell, but French was never my strong suit. Don't tell me if I butchered that.

Okay. So. It would seem that this really was a travel blog and not a knit blog, despite the few paltry WIPs and FOs I put up.

I do have plenty of excuses for not writing: my job is 150% insane, I tend to work weekends, I haven't had phones much the less DSL at my house until this week, my car has broken down four times (Four times!! Dear Tach never let me down once on the road, and as soon as we come to a rest, he needs new brakes, new tires, new clutch cylinders, and new belts! It's like he's taking a deep sigh and letting it all go. It's okay, though, cause my mechanic is actually honest and incredibly hot. He drives a Ducati. Mmmm. End of aside), and so on, and so on...

Really I'm just lazy. And have nothing to say. Except this, which I may have already said, about my job: ever seen The Office? Picture all those people stoned. Then they wake up and realize that they had three deadlines yesterday. That's where I work. We once had an hour-long discussion in a meeting about the benefits of boxes over envelopes. And in the end, we decided to use both. Good God.

So my job is crazy, but it is pretty interesting. My house is finally coming together, after replacing the water heater, disposal, linoleum, a window, all the blinds, a faucet, and a door. Not to mention buying every single piece of furniture that a human being can buy. But it's finally there.

Having my very own room, for the long-term, inspired some truly adult decorating. Knowing that I am going to live in this place for a while gave me the gumption to actually make it how I want it.

I went with a pirate them. A very subtle pirate theme. So subtle, I think I am the only one that gets it, but I get it, and I love it. The walls and windows are light and beachy - sky blue on the bottom half of the walls, white on the top, and turquoise trim, with gauzy curtains. For all the furniture and accents I went with old-fashioned lushness: maroon bedding, a huge oak and wrought iron bed, maroon beaded curtain ties, dark stained bookshelves, and, the perfect touch, a giant antique humpback captains chest. Where I keep my booty. That's right, it is the perfect size for my now gigantic yarn stash.

And that's it. I am settled. And loving it. I do miss the road a bit; I haven't ridden any of my beloved backroads since I've been back, thanks to the aforementioned craziness. Maybe that's what Tach has been complaining about. Three months of interstate can make a wanderlusty truck a little bitchy.

So this blog is at an end. I'll post again when I wander again, mostly because I love the way it helps me actually remember things. And because I met some amazing people through this, and I think about them and miss their influence on my life every day. And all I can say is I am sorry I am a lame ass and neglect my e-mail regularly. Look me up any time you choose to hit the road and find your way out to the west coast.

Must go... tearing up...

I never was good at goodbyes. I tend to drag them out, or do something horribly anti-climactic, like rear-ending a car while reversing and waving.

Anyway, I have two blogging sisters that are far more interesting than me, so I'll just go live vicariously through them for a while. I think I'll leave you with a song, lyrics imperfectly remembered:

The old ways are changing, ye canna deny,                                      The way of the traveler's over.                                               There's nowhere to gang, and there's nowhere to bide,                    So farewell to the live of the rover.

Goodbye to the tents and the old caravan,                                    To the tinker, the gypsy, the traveling man,                                   And goodbye to the thirty-foot trailer.

My sis rocks

Wow. My sister is on the front page of the LA Times today. Wow. I have nothing else to say, but... wow. I feel like I should say something sparkling, as the billions of visitors that will now flood her website just might click over to her wee little sister's site, but... nothing. Just wow. Wow.

Socks, socks, socks

I love having a camera. Now I can just throw up a picture of my beautiful finished socks, even if I don't feel like doing a whole blog. Yay, yay, yay. Have a fun day, I'm off to casual Friday.

Oh, and... uh... did you hear... there's um... a computer virus going around, yeah! It makes... it makes your knitting... explode. Just like that.

Damn, I never was good at these. Happy April Fool's Day! May someone better than me fool you today.

Knittin'

Yay for camera phones!! Look at this:

My first sock ever!! It's so cute. And look, the SCA demonstration at the Warhammer tournament I visited:

It's a whole 'nother world. And way fun.

That's all for today. No more knitting progress, no more work rants. Just happy pictures.

Belated Valentines Day

I was driving home from work yesterday, when I noticed a red metallic heart hovering about ten feet in the air in front of someone's garage. It moved away from me as I approached, no vertical movement, just away, just enough for me to know that it wasn't tethered to anything. Very strange. It was that plastic bag in the breeze moment.

The strangest thing was when I thought, "but it's not valentine's day yet". Then I realized it was over a month ago. God, this job has me insane.

It's great, it's interesting, it's in the publishing field, but goddamn it's crazy. I realized when talking to Christy yesterday that it is like an American version of The Office. With stoners. We spent an hour talking about the virtues of envelopes versus boxes versus boxes within boxes. Jesus Christ.

On top of that insanity, there are always deadlines tomorrow and fires to put out (not literally; or if there are, the firestarter generally takes care of them). It makes the day go by in a wink, but I haven't had time to dawdle and blog-surf even once. Whine. Hell, I haven't had time to organize my desk.

I can't decide if I love it or hate it. A very Valentine's/relationship feeling. We'll just wait and see.

Travel news; still haven't taken that trip up the coast. Damn it. Maybe next weekend.

Knitting news; finished my first sock! I am very proud, and now have the toe of a second sock. And I still think it is completely insane to spend 5 hours on something that will go on my stinky feet, hidden under shoes. Maybe I'll just have to make them for friends with the blessing of linen fresh feet and those funny-ass clear boots specifically for showcasing knitted socks. Hmmm... I need some new friends.

Buds.

Okay. I can't hold it in any more. This (took out the link from paranoia, but safe to say that it is a publishing house that makes books about the bud) is where I am working now. I love it. It's very... San Francisco. Even though it's in Oakland. The really crazy thing is that I was applying for police dispatch positions before I found this place. How varied is my life.

For the first time in simply ages, I found myself in the position of welcoming back travelers, instead of being the traveler welcomed back. It was kinda nice. And I got souvenirs! Presents are nice. Most of them were made of french chocolate, and they are gone now. Mmm. I told Christy it was time for her to go back when I finished the last bar last night while watching the Parisian episodes of Sex and the City.

This weekend's event was one of the most eclectic weddings I have ever been to. It was for a dear life-long family friend, one of my mother's Mothers For Peace fellows,  and the wedding guests ranged from the home-made peasant skirt attired to a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. There were equal amounts of sequins and birkenstocks. It was great.

What sucked was that I was sick as a dog. The entire time I was traveling, I got exactly one mild cold. Since I've been back, I don't think I've been healthy for more than a few days in a row (if you count hangovers), and this last one was truly nasty and knocked me out for about a week and a half. Blech. Maybe my body truly is built for motion. Well, tough shit, body. Get used to the sedentary life.

Having said that, I am completely ready for a mini-trip. I think I am going to go call Rach and convince her to take the convertible out for a spin on the coast. Oh yeah, time for some wind in my hair and familiar haunts.

Back in the Saddle

Oh, this is so nice. Have I said already how great it is to be back? Back where a friend is a friend...

I went to my first concert in the city, Lala's band the Whoreshoes, a band that seems so perfectly San Francisco. They are all just as cute as can be, looking a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll and sounding very honky-tonky. Opening for them was the band Cotton Candy, a delightfully silly band wearing lots of pink, playing accordions and organs, and singing about kitchen utensils and anal sex. Not in the same song. Thank god. I had a bit of of a fright trying to picture them singing at the bar in Montana.

Then I came home (well, to Christy's home, cause she's off frolicking in Paris) and watched Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere until the wee hours of the morning, casting a delightfully dark glow on my memories of the evening. Pink accordions have no place in London below, and yet it was so perfect.

The next day brought a task that is synonymous with San Francisco in my mind: apartment hunting. We actually found a few possibilities in our price range, although they are all in complexes, and we were so hoping to find a delightful little cabin behind someone's house in the hills of Lafayette, perhaps owned by a rich, artsy type who just wanted to help out a couple of girls. Still, the complexes weren't bad. One of them had the most amazing seventies rock garden courtyard, and retro-futuristic light fixtures.

I topped the day off with a visit to my friendly neighborhood liquor store, where the universe rewarded me with the strangest find ever. My eye caught on a four-pack of Del Monte pudding, pink bubble gum flavored, which is strange enough to be fabulous. Then I noticed that Alvin was on the packaging. Alvin the chipmunk. When was the last time you saw Alvin? That's right, this package of fluorescent pink pudding dates back to 1991. It was a "NEW Flavor" back then; I wonder why it never caught on? And I love that this little store never got rid of them.

Today I am off to the thea-tah. Fetes le nui, a saucy musical valentine put on by Berkely Rep. Don't bring the kids; nudity and racy scenes are plentiful. Oh, it's good to be back.

Whew.

Heh. Heh heh. Just finished ranting at the computer and typepad because my post I wrote an hour ago was not showing up. Went to repost it, and realized I had put it under Bethany's 100 Things. It's been too long since I posted.

It's been a bit crazy. No, it's been a lot crazy.

Having made my decision to leave Montana, I went absolutely mad trying to accomplish it immediately. That meant packing up the belongings I had accumulated into my wee stuffed Tach, till he was just about ready to burst, cleaning thouroughly both houses, draining, antifreezing, and otherwise winter proofing the places, and, most importantly, finishing the damn bathroom floor.

It's done. And it's beautiful. And I really wish I had developed my film so I could post a picture. I made a mosaic, with 1 inch square tiles, cut in places so that the curves of the tree and the road would even out a bit better. It's definitely not perfect, a bit of an amateur production, but grout covers many flaws, and I am delighted.

And damn, was it hard! My little how-to books did not mention that fact. The first thing I had to do was mix the cement. Really, I should have known that hand-mixing cement with a stick was not going to be the easiest thing. But after that, I needed a break. Unfortunately, a break meant that the cement would harden a bit, and since it took me about 6 hours of work, breaks were not a good idea.

Okay, and can someone explain How one can Begin at the center, work their Way out, and not step on the Damn Tiles before they are Set? It is simply Not Possible. Still, I did my best, perching on the tub and contorting into strange positions that left me cramped and twitching on the floor hours later.

Still. It was my floor. A floor that I made. Hee. Worth all the pain. I may even do it again someday.

Packed, cleaned, drained, and buffed, I headed south. Traveling... with a destination, not rambling at all. I stuck to interstates covered in snow, and stopped at cheap motels, since I didn't even have room to recline my seat, and the passenger's side was full of "one more bag"s that I tried to cram in.

I spent a few lovely days at my Aunt and Uncle's house in Tucson, Arizona. I know, Arizona is not technically on the way home, but there was simply no direct way to get from MT to CA anyway, so I figured why not make it a wee bit less direct. They showed me the sights of Tucson, including a delightful spring making an oasis in the desert, fed me very, very well, and introduced me to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, a more-than-a-week-long extravaganza of fossils, rocks, wee boxes, huge carved jade, ornate jewelry, and the odd decorative knife or two, all filling the hotel and motel rooms of every single inn in Tucson. A little overwhelming, but much fun for a packrat such as myself.

I also got a whole bunch of puppy tummy rubs in, and was presented with an amazing Hasselblad style camera, one that takes two and a quarter film and with a viewfinder you look down into. It's purty. Um, I am still working on developing my first roll. I'm a little slow.

With good reason, though. I have a new job! After weeks, okay, days, of being ignored for well-paying positions I thought were perfect for me, I found the job that really was perfect for me. I am working for small publishing house, as a kind of Girl Friday! I do a bit of everything, and I love it. The books that we publish are... delightfully San Francisco. The owner/head writer is a huge medical marijuana activist, and all our books are pretty much about pot. The office is clean, organized, and professional; it's not like we are working out of someone's basement. It's just the subject matter that is a bit different. I love it. The job, not the pot.

Job, check. Apartment, next task.

I'm back, baby!!! On my way to dinner in North Beach, I drove past the defenestration building, and got a bit giddy. The defenestration (the act of throwing something out the window) building is on the corner of Harrison and 6th, and was a big art project, years ago. There are all sorts of things crawling out the windows: cast iron tubs, twisted as if caught in motion, lamps stretching way out, a telephone, the receiver leaping out first. It's a completely animate and strange building.

I'm home.

More musings from my paranoid, movie-addled brain

You know what the best thing about snow is? You can be 100 percent positive that no one is stalking you.

Not that that’s something I ever think about, but it is still soothing to look out my back door and through the windows at the uninterrupted spreads of whiteness. Unmarked, except for one little trodden path past my kitchen window from the deer visiting my apple tree. And I’m not really worried about deer peeping in my windows.

It is stunning out there. I have purposely left the back porch covered, so that the mounds of snow just outside the glass reminds me every time I look up that I am surrounded. We had a little blizzard a couple days ago, that deposited about twenty inches of snow on us in less than a day. It was great! I am also very glad to work at a motel, so that if I am stranded, I can just commandeer a bed.

It was especially great, considering the fact that I have decided to head back towards sunnier climes. It’s gorgeous here, but it really isn’t me. It took me a while, but I finally decided that I am just a city girl, albeit one that loves the mountains, and all my ties are someplace else.

The response of my employers to my notice was somewhat telling. "I have to warn you," I started.

"I knew it!" she said, not happy, but definitely not surprised. "I mean, there’s nothing for you here. I knew it would just be a matter of time."

Everyone else knew, while I had my head in the snow. Ah well. I’m enjoying my last few weeks here, soaking up the cold and the… pretty. My yard is full of snow angels. It would be full of snowmen, but they are really hard to make! I’ll try again, but they always turn out strange and disfigured. I’d rather just flop down in the snow and writhe a bit. Then run inside and have hot cocoa and admire.

No time...

Shoot, I really had the best intentions today. I was going to go through my entire mailbox, post something genius, and clean like a dervish, basically stop my hibernating. Three feet of snow on my back porch, you'd think that I would be online constantly. Nope. I slept.

I'm a big slumbery bear. I love winter, I love frolicking, but I love even more cozying up under warm thermal blankets. But now I have to run, cause I have to dig my car out before I go to work. So... I promise, the good intentions will continue tomorrow. Now, out into the delicious cold.

Weather

Grr. The weather refuses to co-operate. No matter how hard I screwed my face up in concentration and danced like crazy for snow, the sun was very persistent, and we had no white Christmas. Gul darn it.

I am becoming increasingly slothlike, and I can't even blame it on cold gloomy weather. I have to close my blinds and pretend like it's nasty. But it's not. It's sunny and beautiful. Grr.

I may be pulling out of my cocoon just a bit. I went on a massive cleaning spree on Christmas Eve, finding the orange peels in a bag by my bed that were contributing to a very strange odor, and now I can see the floor again. I actually got up before noon today. (really, that's better than it sounds; working until midnight, I don't generally sleep until 2 am, so before noon is really quite... well, it's less than ten hours of sleep, anyway.)

Still haven't found the desire to knit anything, which is really pissing me off. I have about fifty half-done projects, and instead of doing anything, I sit in my knitting chair and stare out the window. There is something that glitters, just over the pastor's house. I'm not sure if it is a weird weather vane, catching an odd reflection, or some Christmas lights from a strange angle, but every time I look out the window, day or night, there is a big, glowing arrow pointing westward.

Signs are a wonderful thing, but really they are only justifications. "Hmm, I feel like some ice cream... but I really shouldn't... but look at that, the refrigerator just went on! It's a sign!" So I am ignoring the arrow. For now.

Of course the arrow is also pointing to the Blue Castle, where the bathroom floor has yet to be finished and the buggy room still has its door closed firmly. Hey, but I said I'm ignoring that sign, right? At least for today.

I'll just procrastinate, and see which way the wind blows tomorrow.

don't feel like a title.

Whoof. I have been such a lump. Unwilling to budge from my bed in order to knit, go online, even take a whiz. Winter hibernation? Or just a good excuse?

I managed to go to the library and grocery store, and make some passable fudge today, and that's the most I have done in a week. I haven't even been getting up to put a CD on. What a lump.

Okay, so in the interest of getting out of my slump, I shall try to focus on happy things. Let's see... weather. Actually, that's not really a happy thing. Unless it makes a sharp turnaround and actually starts snowing in the next 48 hours. I want a white Christmas, damn it!

I've actually been seeing some of the winter weather beauties that aren't associated with snow. We've had a few amazing mornings with a thick mist or fog clinging to the valley, with the mountain tops peeking out the top, in pale violet skies. Fog so thick and cold that when you drive into it, it freezes on your windshield. And the woodsmoke smell throughout it all.

So it's pretty. That's as cheery as I feel today. Catch me tomorrow, I have homemade fudge and a bottle of champagne, and I intend to make myself merry.

poop

I have no problem dealing with people's shit; in fact, I'm pretty good at it. I do, however, draw the line at actually, physically, dealing with people's shit. I may not know exactly what I want to do with my life, but I hereby vow that very, very soon, I will have a job that does not have contact with other's excrement. I think that's a very reasonable demand.

Normally hotel jobs are such a breeze. They lull you into a false sense of security. And then you get someone who didn't make it to the bathroom and wants you to change his bed. Good lord, no. No, no, no. Not for six dollars an hour. Maybe not for sixty.

Bwah. Urgh. Okay, shake it off. By tomorrow, I'll be lulled back into that comfy denial.

Let's see, what else... I made some cookies, wrapped up a candle, and went to the Ladie's Bible Study Christmas Party today. It was nice. Chai tea and chocolate, and I got a copy of the Left Behind video in the exchange. Amazing, considering that ninety percent of the presents were candles. Much fun.

Now it's getting dark, and I have to run over to the Blue Castle to clean up the mess I made. Tomorrow, I lay the first tile in the bathroom. Dang, I've been saying that for a while, haven't I? Well, tomorrow, it's really going to happen.

Good lord, no, I can't do cables without a cable needle. I know it's probably slowing me down, but it's a lot quicker than struggling with a crochet hook to find all the stitches I dropped the other way. And I'm pretty speedy with the needle now.

It is gor-gee-ous outside right now. It started snowing last night, full-tilt, and it just stopped a few minutes ago, when the sun came out. There is about a foot of fresh, light snow on the ground, and piled up on all the trees and posts. Ooo, it's beautiful. I tried to work at my computer this morning, and I spent half an hour staring out the window before I got anything done. Now I am just itching to go build a snowman, but I made myself promise to post first.

So. We have snow. Work is the same. Everything else is the same. And that's about it out here. Of course, if I wait until something interesting happens to post, you might not hear from me for a while.

Eek! The sun is already melting stuff, even though it's only been out for a minute! Must run out and frolic! Only have the rest of the winter to play in the snow, can't dawdle!

Have fun today!

Pics

Poop, I got carried away again, and I am out of time. I should have been in bed hours ago. Okay. I'm good, Montana's good, it's cold, but pretty. That said, here are pictures.

Montana sweater:

Flathead Lake:

Momma with the Sacred Heart:

Lake near West Glacier:

And that's all for now, really must sleep.

lazy girl

Well shoot, seems to me there should be someway, if photos are already online, to just slap them up here. But either I'm a computer fool (quite possible) and can't figure it out, or I have to download and then re-upload them. Poop.

Well, sorry, but my computer is way too slow and me way to impatient for that today. So I have pictures. But you can't see them.

It's snowing again. And I still like it. I was so giddy when I woke up this afternoon (midnight shift last night), I had to go and frolic, and catch flakes on my tongue. I wandered down to the river, and then on to the cafe for a hot french dip sandwich. On the way home, I was adopted by a big, old Golden, who is still sitting on my porch outside after following me home.

Mmmm, life is toasty and nice sometimes. I think I am going to go make my buddy Nate happy by taking some pictures of old semaphore train signals in the snow. Then hot cocoa maybe. And knitting. Mmmm.

Strange, I just had to change Mmm to Mmmm, cause Mmm was just wrong. Three Ms connotes uncertainty and has a slight sardonic tone, while four Ms, Mmmm, is just toasty and content. Or is that just me. Hmmm. Or hmmmm? Okay, lack of sleep catching up. Why is it that Rach never seems all goofy and weird after two hours of sleep? Ah, she probably just edits herself better.

Lazy girl signing off.

testing, testing

Momma at Cataldo Mission:

http://www.snapfish.com/slideshow/AlbumID=17140214/PictureID=368341639/t_=12661652

Reading Materials

I've been slowly but surely working through my stash of books. I brought an Ingram sized box full along with me, and I'm about 2/3 of the way through it now. Problem is, all the light and fluffy ones go first. For the past weeks, I've been on a steady diet of serious literary works, with nonfiction about autism and avian extinction thrown in. I was desperate yesterday, so I raided the 'free' bookshelf outside the library. I would have raided the library, but it's only open for an hour on first thursdays of the month followed by a full moon.

I now have several... fabulous, ancient harlequins. They are all set 'abroad', somewhere warm, and they all have the heroine sighing over a forceful, dangerous, but handsome noble of Latin blood. Was this what they were all like, or did someone in this town have a particular fantasy?

"Yet love knew no bounds. In a few days time, she would leave the Castelo far behind, but always she would have in her heart this strange, slightly sinister man whose only words to her were tinged with sarcasm."

Oh dear. Maybe I'll go back to my passenger pigeons.

Speaking of edible birds, happy Thanksgiving! I bought a couple bottles of Martinelli's, and I'm going to be starting a party in the lobby of the motel. It'll be wild. Have fun, y'all.

Snow! We have Snow!

All day yesterday it was just drifting lazily down. It was so light, I thought it was ash, or dandruff, but nope, it was snow! And then just before I left my lovely warm coffee shack with its satellite TV, it really started snowing. Yay! There’s even still just a touch left on the ground. Not nearly as impressive as the first snow this year, but this time it feels like it might just keep going. And going, and going.

Am I crazy? I can’t wait for the snow to be piled high. Big mounds of the stuff. I just had a vision of the back yard, full of fantastical snow men and forts. Whaddya call it when you build a little home out of snow? Not an igloo… is that a yurt? Whatever it is, I want to build one. And eat graham crackers inside of it, while watching the snow fall.

Let’s see, other news… I worked a ten hour day at the coffee shop yesterday. Although ‘work’ is really to strong a word. Every now and then I would fix someone a coffee, but for the most part, I sat next to the heater, knitting, and watching Gilmore Girls. And Buffy. And about fifty episodes of Law and Order. That show must be on all day long, on one channel or another.

That is what I call a job.

Today I have the whole day off, and I was planning on starting to tile. Instead, I am going to play hookey and head up to Plains for knitting and companionship. And maybe a hot tub on the way. Woo!

Not so Bleh. In fact, Yay!

Okay, I’m back for real now. I was feeling a little sad and lonely for a while, you know, post election blues. I’m feeling good now.

My sister (sister Christy, not sister Rachael), at this very moment, is winging her way to come see me! Yay! I love visitors, and I love sisters! Double yay!

On top of that, I finally have all the tile and supplies and plans ready to mosaic the bathroom floor! Yay again!

Okay, I may have cheerleadered myself into a good mood, but at least I’m there, damn it.

I am desperately craving a digital camera. I taught myself how to tat! It actually comes far more naturally to me than knitting, and I have made the cutest little trim that is destined for a pillowcase or something. And there’s no one to ooo and ah, damn it! I think I’ll take it with me when I go to Spokane to pick Christy up, search down some LYS, and shove it in someone’s face. "Look! Look what I did! Appreciate!"

Although Christy will definitely appreciate. Yay! Visitors! Sisters! Yay!

I have far too many things in the air right now. I know, given the rate I work at, that I need to get going on any Christmas present projects, but I really don’t want to put down my Montana sweater. I still only have the back and one sleeve almost done, but I need to finish it so I can wear it at least once during the winter here. Preferably more than once. I’ve started allocating time and spaces. The guy sweater present is the coffee shop job; perfect for sitting in a warm booth, smelling the brew, and watching Charmed. The tatting stays at the motel; small, easy to hide, takes a bit of attention still. And the Montana sweater must be done in my comfy big knitting chair, the one that faces the mountain out my back door, and where I can kick my feet up on my rocker.

If I start anything else, I’m going to have to leave one on my bedside table, one next to the toilet, and one on top of my computer. And one in my car, but that’s just not safe. Which means I have to finish something. Poop.

Weather here is cold, but we haven’t seen any more snow yet. It’s just around the corner, though. I feel like I’m on tiptoes, waiting for it. I’ve made two massive trips to the supermarket for canned stuff and water, and I took advantage of the one sunny day we had to paint the new front porch and the trim. Well, the front half of the trim, anyway. I may have been a little nostalgic for San Francisco, though, in my color choices. The cute blue house now has maroon trim and a porch with pink highlights. Maybe a wee bit Victorian, but it is the Blue Castle, right? It needed a spiff.

At the same time, I also finally took down the Christmas lights. I can’t believe that took me so long. I can’t believe that I am going to be putting them up again so soon. And yes, I am going to decorate. My parents never did more than a bit of luminaria, and I always agreed with them, thinking the subtle touches were better; the tree through the window, the glowing bags on Christmas Eve. Plus way cheaper. Yay cheapness. Still, in Minneapolis I saw what Christmas lights are supposed to look like, blanketed by snow, and I was hooked. I want that snowy glow.

Crap, I should NOT be thinkng Christmas. It’s way, way too early. It’s the project thing, and the fact that there is eggnog at the coffee shop now, and if there’s eggnog, you have to drink it. I even found myself eyeing the Soulfull Christmas CDs in my collection the other day. No! I will hold out untill after Thanksgiving. And there will be not another word about it. And I apologize for even bringing up the subject.

Yay for Ghouls

Mmmm. I love Halloween. Oh, have I mentioned that already?

The night before I spent at Rancho Nicasio, dancing madly and tearing up occasionally as Lee Press On and the Nails performed their final show ever. That's ever and always, folks. An era is dead. Sigh. Still, for those about to commit ritual suicide, don't despair. You can still catch Lee backing up the fabulous Lesley Pressley in Viva la Diva.

I sound like a bizarre press release. A good time was had by all... There were about sixteen of us there (my friends, not total audience members - the place was packed), and we just went nuts. Deb flew in from Mexico, me from Montana, and we had one guy at our table who came from Pennsylvania, just for this show. And it was so worth it. They played all night long, and they've never sounded better.

The next night was Halloween, so I headed, already hungover, for the Castro. Maybe we just left too early, but it seemed almost... ghostlike, and not in a good way. It was not the crush that I had been expecting. And a good half of the people there were just gawkers. The best costume was sushi, and I only saw one near-naked guy. And no knifings. Tame.

We left early and went back to the apartment to get really blasted and watch Bubba Ho Tep. Much fun.

Now... I'm about to leave to fly back. I don't want to go. I've been talking about the amazing beauty of Montana, and how it just rocks, but I think I've just been trying to psych myself up. I haven't been mentioning the fact that I am broke getting broker, still don't have a bathtub, and haven't met a single person I would call friend. Okay, maybe one. I just spent a wonderful weekend with my sisters and friends, and now I don't want to leave!

We'll see. Here in the Bay Area I have a friend ready and willing to move in with me, and a possible job offer as assistant dyer in a yarn warehouse. There I have a graveyard motel job and an empty house. But there's snow! And... okay, I can't come up with an and.

Sigh. I like Montana, and I like to finish what I start, but I'm just not cheery at the moment.

Happy, Happy

Halloween is coming!! I’m getting in the mood by listening to “Don’t fear the Reaper”, and scary movie soundtracks. Not to mention LPN and the Necromantics. “Haunted Cathouse” must be one of the finest written songs ever.

You know, the best side effect of not having a mirror in the house is the fact that I dance more. I was just boogeying in my seat, and I realized that back in the day, I would dance around, and at some point, catch a glimpse of just how silly I looked. Without a mirror, no reminder, so I just quietly look silly, and love it.

I gave away my candy today. I had bought two big bags, of the good stuff, so that I would be loved and admired on the block. Since it turns out I am heading to CA for the holidays, I didn’t need it. Which meant it would end up in my tummy very soon. So I did the right thing, and gave it to my neighbor across the street (who, by the way, is sporting another black eye, but we don’t talk about such things). I’m missing that chocolate already.

I’m in a very strange, black mood. I’ve been thinking depressing thoughts, death and finances and the like, yet I am completely cheery. I’m relishing it. It’s the perfect halloweeney mood.

Speaking of perfectly halloweeney, how about that eclipse last night? Yeah, that’s all I have to say on the subject. How about that. Eclipses are one of those things that you wander outside, look up, say, “huh, how about that”, and wander back in. In Montana, this time of the year, you wander quickly, as it’s already below freezing. Still, they’re neat.

I fly out tomorrow. My costume is packed, and waiting by the door. Tonight my brain won’t solidify long enough to make a cohesive blog, so I’ll just wish y’all a merry halloween, may lots of sugar and spooks come your way.

I don't know how to LOOVE him...

I remember, way back in junior high, sneaking my sister's musical theater albums out from her room. Andrew Lloyd Weber was a biggie back then, and she had a collection, of course. The one selection from JC Superstar was, of course, "I don't know how to love him", or IDKHTLH. Damn, that's hard to shorten. I really, really hated that song. Mostly because the lady singing it felt that she had to emphasize LOVE; she hit that word hard. Like if she didn't belt it, we would mistake it for something else. Did she say mug? She wants to rob Jesus?

Yesterday I came home to find a cute little autumnal cloth bag hanging from my door, with a snickers bar and two comic book tracts on finding Jesus. One of my favorite panels is when the angel surprises Mary with the knowledge that she is pregnant. Her surprised expression looks very much like a need to puke. Another favorite shows an old man in a black jacket and scarf (shades of Stephen King), telling his young friend,"Yes, George. He's the ONLY One who can rescue you from eternal damnation in the lake of fire."

Mmm. Anyway, I fooled them. Little did they know, I have two houses here. So I got two Snickers, and only half the message. So there.

This morning I had a little peaceful, spiritual moment. The type where you don't want to breathe, for fear of breaking the spell. I slept terribly last night, and the local siren that calls the volunteer firemen finally woke me up (the neon sign at the Frosty's caught on fire). I slogged my way to the window in the kitchen, peeked out the window, and saw that almost an inch of pure snow had been left in my backyard overnight. It was still almost completely dark; but enough light reflected off the snow under my apple tree for me to just see the shape of a young little doe, her head bent to pick at the apples I was too lazy to harvest.

I really like snow. It's neat. I suppose the novelty will wear off soon; that's part of the reason I am here, after all. I love San Francisco, and that's where I am planning on ending up, but I have this unhealthy attachment to the white stuff. I have to glut myself, and hope the enchantment fades, cause it's in short supply in the Bay Area. We'll see how that goes. When it gets all muddy and nasty and really, really, really cold, and extremities threaten to fall off... well, we'll see.

PS. I love my weather pixie, but it pisses me off that in sub-freezing weather she still looks svelte, if entirely covered. Sorry, but when it gets cold, you look like a marshmallow. That's all there is to it, and computer icons should not be exempt. Bitch.

Rambling again.

The trip to Glacier was wonderful. The mountains around here have gone all wonky with color; amazing for what looked to me like a state full of evergreens. There's aspens by the rivers and on the edges of course, but even better than those the trees that I am assuming are larches. I've mentioned I'm not so good with the botany thing, right?

These trees were masquerading as evergreens, until a few weeks ago, they suddenly started to blaze. Now there are fabulous patterns on all the hillsides. The one outside my window is green all the way up its south face, then yellow most of the way down the north, until about halfway down where it goes all spotted. Some mountains are so perfectly spotted, they look like quilts, a not-quite-random marriage of colors. Others have one yellow stripe running at a certain elevation, or a gold V where the mountain dips and rises. A few even have spots of red added into the mix, and don't even ask me what those are. The larch thing was lucky guess from my momma.

I drove north through the leaves, on backroads the whole time, the light absolutely perfect. It was bouncing off the clouds up ahead in entrancing ways, and enhancing the highlights of color on the mountains.

The clouds should have given me a warning, though. By the time I got to Glacier, it was overcast and drizzling, and halfway through it started to pour. I'm not actually sure the mountains really exist; they just ended 20 feet above my head.

That's not to say it wasn't gorgeous. It is Glacier, after all, and I managed to get all the way through on the Going-to-the-Sun (yeah, right) road. Just in time, too. It snowed that night over my camping spot in East Glacier, and the road was scheduled to close today anyway.

The night was not so much fun. The leaks that plaqued the second half of my trip have turned into a minor flood. I could actually see the water dripping in. I scrunched to the other side of the truck, and cozied up in my warm, warm sleeping bag (Ruprecht, I seem to remember naming him), and slept just fine. Except that I was parked next to a very active rail line. And I kept falling off the bed. It's been a while since it was just me and a mattess in there; I was always boxed in before, with no where else to go.

I headed home the next morning, and enjoyed the rest of my weekend by sitting on my ass and reading, knitting, painting, and being a lazy bum. It was great.

I am (still) at the armholes in my Montana sweater. I've stalled a bit. I don't know if I'm scared to tackle them (as I'm adapting the pattern quite a bit), or if I've just been busy with other projects. Which I have. I finished a mobius scarf (meant to be a shawl, but I put an extra twist in, so really it's best as a scarf now) in a lovely green Jo Sharp tweed accented with lime green mohair. The combo was odd, but I think it worked. Sorry, no pictures. Someday I'll go digital, till then, words only.

I am also almost done with a autumnal/halloweeney scarf that I just love, made with yarns from Art Fibers. It's lush. It's also the first time I've worked with any type of novelty yarn, and I have resolved never to mock the stuff again. It's freaking hard to knit with that! The only thing saving my sanity is that it's alternated with a nice wool in woodsy colors.

Aaaand... I started another sweater for a guy, and a shawl for a gift. I'm ADD girl nowadays, it seems. Speaking of, I've been doing this one thing for far too long. Must flit...

Woo hoo, Witchy Woman

Well, I finally decided on a Halloween costume. I'm being extremely original this year. I'm going to be... a witch! Okay, maybe not so original, but I've never actually been a basic warts-and-broomsticks type witch, and it'll be fun, in a reclaiming my childhood type way. It was either that, or a pretty, pretty, princess, and princess dresses don't come cheap. Not to mention the tiaras.

My decorating this year is rather minimal. I have my trusty glow-in-the-dark skeletons hanging in the entanceway, and a life-size hand, with glow-in-the-dark nails and veins, holding a candle by my front door. Lovely. I also have a little placque, showing a woman in a duster, cowboy hat and boots, and a black mask, standing next to a Harley. I'm not really sure if that's Halloweeny or not; but how could you pass that up in a Goodwill? It would take a stronger woman than me to not plunk down the exorbitant fee of 50 cents. Did I mention she is slipping on black gloves, with one leg cocked and peeking out from the duster?

After today's shift, I have three days off in a row. I know I should buckle down and do some cleaning and writing and house stuff, but Glacier is just calling me! The weather has been glorious, and I just heard from someone that the Going-to-the-sun road, or whatever they call it, has been re-opened. Mmm. Maybe just a quick trip. I think I'll go throw my futon in the truck now. Gotta live up to the blog name, after all. So I'll ramble my way north for a few days.

I'm conveniently forgetting that momma and me did that for a week. She saw more countryside than I have since I've been here! I think I overloaded her a bit; on the way home from our last jaunt up to Kalispell, she had to shut her eyes through some fabulous mountains. "There's too much to look at!" she mumbled. "I can't keep it straight!"

Still, traveling with a companion is more of a jaunt. A trip. It's not pure rambling. So away I go.

Weddings and Rambles

Sorry for the quiet; I’ve been running for weeks. Now I am running out of steam, and feeling too tired to raise my head. I’m embarrased to admit it, but my 60+ momma is running me ragged. Well, her, and working till midnight most every day.

The wedding in CA was fabulous. Everything went without a hitch, the bride was stunning, and started to give some luminescent grins when her nerves wore off. I danced like a maniac, drank like one too. After the reception, which was at a gorgeous old victorian with a turret that housed a giant bathtub (heaven!), we took the keg home and played drunken ping pong.

Then came the long, long, long drive home. I made it down there in 24 hours, backroads half the time, and stuck to interstates on the way back with the momma, which cut the time down to 22 hours. Woo hoo. I was fully in pain by the end of that run, and I don’t think I’ve gotten my breath back just yet. I’ve been running here and there, seeing the sights in between motel shifts. But I love it. I’ve got a visitor! And she cleans, too! Today she did my laundry!

Yesterday we were wandering the backroads home from Missoula, and ended up on a little dirt logging road, not a house or a soul in sight the entire time. Halfway to nowhere, we came across the friendliest old dog in the world, panting like crazy, and very unwilling to leave our truck. We had to turn around 10 minutes later, and when we got back to that point in the road, there he was, looking pitifully hot and thirsty, and needful of a friend. I opened the tailgate, and he jumped right in and settled down.

Later we realized that we probably kidnapped someone’s hunting dog, and they were out in the forest for hours calling him, but at the time we thought we were being very good samaritan-ish. We took him to the address on his collar, and he hopped out, greeted by another lumping old American Brown dog, that came around the corner with a bit of turf or something in his mouth. No people anywhere, so we just turned around and headed home. I’m actually a little tickled by the thought of his owners coming home and finding him, flabbergasted as to how he got there. He’s just gonna grin that quiet grin of his, and they’ll never know.

Not quite so happy...

I finally got around to bombing the crap out the spiders under the house, the ones that have been creeping up through the heating vents in ones and twos. I closed all the vents I could find, but they must have a super secret spy way in, because the house was chock full of casualties of war when I got home tonight. Several of them the ping-pong sized variety. All of them requiring squooshing. What fun.

My sisters and I played fun little games, attempting to manipulate each other into doing things for us. It usually came down to who wanted it more, and me being the easy going gal that I am, I usually caved and brought Rachael the damn banana. I shocked her once, though. There was a giant spider on the floor in the rec room (actually our garage). She was playing the "no, you do it" game, sure I was playing along, not aware of the fact that I am close to hyperventilating, and wigging out in a big way. I finally attempt to smoosh it, don't quite succeed, and instantly burst into tears. She was very helpful with spiders after that. See, I like smooshing even less than I like the spiders. It's just not pleasant, and if I mess up the first whack, I'm a mess.

Luckily I got all the ones today on the first whack. What really terrifies me now is this; spiders like dark corners, right? So for all the dozens that invaded the visible spots on my walls, how many are lurking under my covers? Crap. I have to go tear apart my bed now.

My knitting content is being replaced with handiness content. I finished laying the concrete board yesterday, and today, with many curses and bandaids, I managed to almost get back together the sink/vanity. I just have to replace one little piece of wood that I managed to turn into splinters, and then hope that the jerry-rigged bottom will hold the weight of the sink. I think it will. The frustrating part is that it is an ugly, chintzy little vanity, held together originally with staples (you try making staples re-attach). Seriously thinking about replacing the whole thing. Of course, if I have this many issues with a vanity-in-a-box, do I really think I can fabricate a whole new one? Mmm... no.

Mmm... happy

My tummy is full of gnochi and wine. My bathroom floor is covered with concrete board, just waiting for fun tiles and toilets. My computer seat gives me a perfect view of the full moon rising over my mountain. And I just whupped the computer in Monopoly, and whupped it bad. Life, it is good.

On top of all this goodness, I get to go home for my buddy's wedding in just a couple of days. Then I'm kidnapping my ma to bring her up north with me for a week. I feel blessed.

I'm still homesick and lonely and really don't like the nasty blue polo shirt I have to wear to work, if you really want to hear me whine, but all that is in the fuzzy distance. Man, that moon is a stunner. I think I'll go outside and sit a while.

All make ready, the Great Pumpkin approaches!

Halloween's almost here! I'm twitching, I'm so excited. Or maybe that's the box of pumpkin peeps.

This is my favorite holiday ever. Better than Christmas, better than any birthday... in fact, the only way you could make it better would be to give gifts as well. Candy to strangers, DVD players to friends. Everyone gets dressed up, and at midnight, by the warm glow of jack-o-lanterns and street fires, everyone exchanges gifts. Could get confusing, though. "A negligee? I'm Frank, you idiot, your wife is the other ghost!"

I've always planned my costumes out almost a full year in advance. This was going to be my big year, the year I finally went as Martha. Stewart, not Washington. I've been searching for the perfect wig for the past 4 years, and collecting khaki's and denim shirts. I was ready. Now, no one will recognise me unless I wear prison orange, and there'll probably be a billion other Marthas out there. Sigh.

Speaking of not recognizing... did anyone else see the Larry King interview? It was frightening. She looked collagened and botoxed to the max, and I think Mary Kay herself did her makeup. Maybe even Tammy Faye. Oh, Martha... what happened to all your neutral tones?

Early in the morning a few days ago, having been up for well over 24 hours thanks to a schedule change, I came up with the best costume idea. First off, you have to understand that it's a group thing. Vegetables. One carrot alone would be pretty sad, but can't you just picture a whole flock of veggies walking down Castro? I'm really feeling the eggplant, I've got friends lined up for potato and leek, and I have the perfect celery in mind, I just have to convince him. Which may prove hard to do. My friends are starting to avoid my phone calls. I don't know why.

What is the proper pack name for a gang of vegetables? A murder of crows, a flock of seagulls, a... medley of veggies. Or goulash.

Okay, in reality, this is not going to happen. I'm getting a bit frantic. I guess I could go with my road idea from last year. No, I could be Life... as a highway. I wanna ride it all night long. Gimme gimme gimme gimme yeah. Still, I don't like costumes that require the question, "what the heck are you?" No one ever seems to appreciate my witty answer.

If you can't tell, I've been awake for a good bit today as well. I think I'll end this post before it degenerates any further, and go take a nap.